Fixed-cam clamp bracket for concrete forms



April 17, 1962 c. M. JAHN 3,030,059

FIXED-CAM CLAMP BRACKET FOR CONCRETE FORMS Filed Dec. 28, 1959 Fig. 5

JNVENTOR. CARL M JAH/V ATTORNEY ,93 ,0 .t FIXED-CAM CLAMP BRACKET FOR CONCRETE FORMS Carl M. Jahn2640 St; Paul St Demon-C010 Filed Dec. 28, 1959, Ser. No. 862,394

2 Claims. (61.- 248- -223) As a development from and an improvement of certain features of the invention disclosed in my pending'application'for Letters Patent of the United States filed on August 25, 1958, Serial No. 756,786, and alternaive to the functionally-analogous device disclosed in my separate pending application for Letters Patent of theUnited States filed on'December 15, 1958, Serial No. 780,549, now Patent Number 2,967,689, the instant invention relates to clamp brackets useful in the erection and operative organization of forms adapted to receive and shape concrete in permanent position, and has as an object to provide a unitary such bracket distinguished by convenience andfacility of repetitious use.

A further object of the invention is to providea novel and improved clamp bracket for concrete formsmanipulable in position of use to apply a wedging-action-significant to proper correlation of form elements with which it is associated,

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved clamp bracket for concrete forms that is applicable and manipulable as a unit to securely intercouple, and alternatively to release, tie-rods and bracing timbers typical of conventional concrete form arrangements.

A -further object of theinvention is to provide a novel and improved clampbracket for concrete for-ms adapted for self-locking installation'in position ot useand'optional release from'such use position through simple and convenient manipulations. v

A further object of the invention is to'provide a novel and improved clamp bracket for concrete forms thatis durable and eificient throughout a long life of repetitious use.- V

A further object of-the inventionis to provide a-novel and improved clamp bracket for concrete forms that is practical and economical of production'in any desired range of particular sizes.

A further object of the'invention is'to providesnovel and improved clamp bracket for concrete forms that is in use-conservative of labor andform materials.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction and operative organization-of elements constituting an independent; functionally-integrated clamp bracket unit advantageously employable in the erection and stripping of conventional concrete forms.

A further-object of the invention is toprovide'anovel and improved operative,unitary combination of; aipresjsure-transmissive bracket seat and integrally-associated pressure-applying means adapted for advantageous u s ein the'ere'ctionand strippingiofconventionalconcrete forms.

With the foregoing and other objects in view my invention consists in the construction; arrangement, -=and operative combination of elements ashereinafter set forth, pointed-out in my claims, and illustrated bytheaccompanying' drawing, in which- FIGURE 1 is adiagrammatic, isometric view of a simple conventional concrete form-arrangement exemplifyingthe use potential of the instant invention and showing' my improved clamp bracket asapp'liedthereto;

FIGURE 2' is a top plan view,=on arelatively enlarged scale,- of the-bracket unit of theiris'tant invention as'initially applied to use position in association with the headed e'nd extension ofa conventional tie-rod repre- 'se'nted by broken lines.-

3,63%,059 Patented Apr. 17, 1962 FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the bracket unit according to FIGURE 2 in position of ultimate-clamping coactionwith conventional form panel, tie-rod, and timber elements represented by broken lines.

FIGURE 4 is a transverse sectional view of the organization accordingto FIGURES 2 and 3 taken substantially on the indicated line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a transverse sectional view of the organization according to FIGURES 2 and 3- taken substantially on the indicated line 55 of FIGURE 3.

As explained in my earlier patent application, first above noted, it is common practice to organize concrete forms as spacedly-parallel walls or panels 10 upstanding from a base 11 and spaced apart by a succession of shouldered tie-rods 1 2 perpendicularly therethrough in extension of their headed end portions outwardly beyond the walls or panels, and to secure said walls or panels against outward separation by means oftimbers 13supported exteriorly'against the walls or panels'on the outer end extensions of the rods 12 by means wedged between outer margins'of the timbers and the head terminations of the rods. Various means have beenheretofore proposed and provided to wedge the timbers 13 in their desired associationwith' the walls or panels 10 andterminals of the tierods"12, and the instant-invention is directed to the'provision of novel and improvedsuch means characterized by 'facility of use and economic advantage.

Functionally analogous to the clamp brackets" disclosed in both army applications above noted, and in broad structural similarit'y'to the bracket disclosed in the laterfiled one of said applications, the instant improvement is developed in connection witha rigid bracket member of suitable material, such as sheet metal, formed inany appropriate or desired manner to provide an'op'en, angular loop characterized by a flat top portion; 14 having a length slightly less than the width of the timber 13 where with it' isto be associated and adapted to serve as a seat for atimber transverse thereof, an inner end portion- 15 fixedly depending perpendicularly from one end of the portion 14, an outer end portion 16 fixed perpendictllarly to and across'the other end of the'portio'n 14' in' spaced parallelism with the portion 15 to project as a flange 16 above the portion 14a distance approximating thethickn'ess of the timber'13 engageable thereby" and to extend below'the portion 14 a distance less than the corresponding dimension of'the portion 15', and an in cli'n'ed bottom member 17 fixed to close as a brace between lower margins of the portions'15 and 16in a consequent outward convergence with the portion 14. The bracket unit comprised from" the elements14, 15; I6, 16 and 17 has any appropriate" unifor width, preferably lessthan" the leiigth of the portion 14, and in an initial divergence from the disclosure of my earlier application the angular loop bracket of the instant invention is pro vid'ed' with holes 18 and 19 respectively intersectinga'nd openingthrough the bracket end portions 15 and16 in a like size freely accommodating passage of the headed outer end of a tie-rod 12 thereth'ro'ugh and ina uniqiie particularity of arrangement. Iii accordance with and to give practical effectto theprinciple's of the instant inventio n, the hole; i 8 providin'g passage for the outer end of a tie-rod 12 through the bracket end portion'ls is des'irabl'y circular in' appropriate size of'opening', intersects the end portion 15 inwardly adjacent one side margin thereof in a mbder'ate sp'aci'ngfrom the bracket s'ea't por'- tion 14, arid opehs to el'no'gated slotco'ntinuation' 18 extending laterally of the end portion 15, in an open width accommodative of tie-rod 12 diameter, parallel to the seat portion 14 with its side margin adjacent the latter tangent to theupper arc otthe hole to terminate inwardly adjacent the other side margin of said end portion. As should be readily apparent, the hole18 with if its slot 18 accommodates introduction of the headed outer end of a tie-rod 12 in a generally perpendicular relation through the bracket end portionlS and subsequent engagement of the slot 18 in close-embracing relation with the tie-rod extension inwardly from said headed end in consequence of lateral bracket adjustment thereon; The hole 19 intersects the bracket end portion 16 in substantial registration longiudinally of the bracket unit with the closed end of the slot 18' and hence inwardly adjacent the side margin of said end portion 16 opposite to the side margin of the end portion 15 contiguous to the hole 18 and is spaced from the bracket seat portion as is said latter hole. Constituted as shown and thus far described, the bracket unit coacts in mounted engagement with a tie-rod terminal extension exterior to a form panel whereof the headed outer end is first entered through the hole 18 and then through the hole 19 after shift of the bracket to engagement of the rod within the slot 18' to present the outer face area of its end portion in direct opposition to the adjacent exterior surface area of the panel 10, to dispose its seat portion 14 above and longitudinally parallel to the tie-rod extension for reception and support of a timber 13, and to space the flange 16' of the end portion 16 from the exterior surface of the panel for accommodation of a timber therebetween. Applied through the agency of the non-registered holes 18 and 19, and the slot 18', to the tie-rod extension, the

bracket unit is loosely and detachably supported thereon for axial and radial shift and transverse rocking oscillation relatives thereto with the slot 18' embracingthe rod in such cooperation with rod reception through the hole 19 as to support the bracket unit at a lateral deviation from the vertical, in which disposition the said unit reacts to a timber 13 cradled on the seat portion 14 thereof to conformably relate the latter and the flanges 16' of the bracket with the associated timber surfaces'in a manner effective to apply pressures acting to shift the bracket unit inwardly on the rod to and through the associated timber thereby crowded and held directly against the exterior panel surface areas thereto opposed. Further distinguishing from the disclosures of my earlier applications, a feature of the present invention is a unique detent integrally associated with and unitarily carried by the bracket characterized as shown and described and actuatable in consequence of bracket displacement radially of the associated rod extension with wedging effect between the headed end of the latter and the coplanar areas of the bracket end portion 16 and flange 16' of theunit to develop and maintain the pressures requisite to operative correlation of the timbers with the panels 10. i I

. The detent featuring the instant invention is acuneal cam 20 integrally offset from, or otherwise fixedly related with,-the end portion 16 of the bracket unit in a disposition laterally 'of said end portion and an obstructoin out-' wardly therefrom such as to establish its outer face'at a divergent inclination to the plane of said end portion and i laterally thereof from 'mergence therewith at'the position of-the hole 19. Located in substantial registration longitudinally of the bracket unit with the slot 18 and hole I tive in straddling relation with a tie-rod extension supporting the unit to engage opposed areas of'the tie-rod terminal head for shift of the bracket unit and associated timber inwardly of the rod and away from its head in reaction to lateral displacement of the unit in an appropriate direction radially of the rod. 1 e

The utility, practicality, and advantages of the improved bracket unit illustrated and above described should berreasonably apparent from the foregoing. As a facility conservative of time, labor, and materials applied to the erection of concrete forms constituted from panels spacedly interlinked by means of tie-rods each engaged by and clampably mounting bracing timbers, a bracket unit is provided for and engaged with each projecting end extension of each tie-rod exteriorly of the form panels. Manipulable as an integrated unit, the bracket is convenient of mounted association with a tierod extension through one-hand motions directed to enter the rod terminal head successively through the non-registered holes 18 and 19 with concomitant reception of the rod extension within the slot 18 and alignment of the cam slot 21 with and radially of the rod as the released bracket unit swings to cocked supported relation thereon. A horizontally-aligned series of the tie-rods being so furnished with the bracket units, a timber 13 is applied thereto between the bracket flanges 16 and the panel surfaces opposing the same in supported engag'ement with'the bracket unit seats 14, in consequence whereof the bracket units rock and shift on their rod supports to operative correlation of the unit elements and features with the timber and with each other, in which correlation the end portions 15 of the units are spaced slightly from the panel areas thereto opposed and the cam slot 21 is aligned in a horizontal disposition radially of and in position to receive the associated rod and extension engaged with and through the closed end of the slot 18' and the hole 19 registered therewith. With the timber in place and the cam slot 21 radial of the associated rod extension, as above dis- 18 in the bracket end' portion 15, the inclinedouter-face I of the cam 20 is provided with a slot 21 opening in a width accommodative of rod 12 diameter to the'hole, 19 with its upper side margin tangent to the upper arc of said hole and spacedly parallel to the bracket seat portion 14 superjacent thereto, which slot 21 intersects the major cussed, impacts applied to the appropriate side of the bracket unit are effective through resulting shift of the unit longitudinally of the timber to develop and apply wedging action of the cam 20 as pressure operating in reaction to engagement of the tie-rod shoulders with the interior face of the panel to crowd the timber into close and desired supporting relation with the panel, the spacedly-parallel registration of the slots 18' and 21 accomomdating shift of the unit with respect to the rod. Wedged in position of use as above set forth, the bracket units are secured in place against accidental dislodgement and inadvertent loosening since the frictions of the inter-engaged surfaces and the inclination of the cam areas resist any tendency of the cam to loosen under vibrations to which it may be subject. Release of the bracket units preliminary to stripping of the forms is rapidly and easily accomplished through the application of impacts to the appropriate other side of each unit for consequent shiftthereof on the rod and relative to the timber and resulting retraction of the rod extension from the cam slot 21, whereafter, the loosened timber having been removed, separation of the bracket from the rod extension requires only simple,- one-hand manipulations directed to withdrawal of the rod terminal head through the hole 19, shift of the unit to disengage the rod from the slot 18', and final detachment as the rod terminal head is caused to pass through the hole '18. As an integrated, unitary assembly characterized by shift-reactive wedging means, the improved bracket is immediately ready for reuse after separation from a previously-engaged tie-rod and is conveniently manipulable without occasion for the manual interassociation of separate elements in all, of its operative dispositions and relationships.

Since ,changes variations, and modifications in the form, construction, and arrangement of the elements shown and described may be had without departing from the spirit of my invention, I wish to be understood as being limited solely by the scope of the appended claims, rather than by any details of the illustrative showing and foregoing description.

I claim as my invention:

1. A clamp bracket removably and replaceably coactable with the headed terminal extension of a rod and a timber transversely thereof, comprising a rigid, angular, laterally-open, uninterrupted loop formed with spacedly-parallel, plane end portions and a fiat seat portion bridging therebetween, said end portions being formed with holes sized to freely pass the head terminal of the rod singly intersecting the same subjacent the loop seat portion and elongated notches adapted to re ceive and slidably accommodate rod element diameter opening from and tangentially of the arcs of said holes adjacent the seat portion laterally of the respective end portions, whereby to adapt said loop for mounted support on an associated rod extension with its seat portion parallel thereto in position to receive a timber, a coplanar flange continuation of one of said end portions beyond said seat portion and away from the hole and notch subjacent the latter adapted to overlie the outer margin of a timber received on said seat portion, and a fixed cuneal obtrusion from the outer face of the flangecontinued end portion coextensively bounding and aligned with the notch laterally thereof in an outward divergence relative to said face away from mergence therewith at the zone of the hole therethrough.

2. The organization according to claim 1, wherein the holes intersecting the end portions are similarly spaced from the seat portion inwardly adjacent respectively-opposite side margins of the end portions out of registration longitudinally of the seat portion and the notches tangential of said holes register longitudinally of the seat portion in a like length effective to register their respective closed ends with the hole in the end portion remote therefrom, whereby to provide that in supported engagement with a rod extension the bracket is retained in use position on the rod with its seat portion length-parallel thereto, the rod element received in the closed end of the notch of the end portion remote from the cuneal obtrusion, and the open end of the notch bounded by said obtrusion positioned to embracingly receive the rod element upon shift of the loop laterally and radially of the rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,956,771 McKeoWn May 1, 1934 2,217,278 Kanter Oct. 8, 1940 2,273,198 Hillberg Feb. 17, 1942 2,967,689 Jahn Jan. 10, 1961 

